Improvement in grain-separators



M. J. BARCALO.

Grain Separator.

Patented June '23, 1863.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MYRON J. BAROALO, OF MOUNT MORRIS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,937, dated J une 23, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVIYRON J. BARCALO, of Mount Morris, in the county of Livingston and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fanning-Mills and Grain Separators and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure l is a central longitudinal vertical section of the shoe of a fanning-mill with my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the adjustable screen and separating-plate and showing their arrangement and relative position.

Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

My invention consistsin the application and peculiar arrangement of a plate of metal or other suitable material to the upper end of the ordinary screen, in combination with a sliding board or separator, in order to produce a more thorough and complete cleansing and separation of the grain, as hereinafter particularly described.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the shoe, constructed in any known or desirable manner. B is the screen, made of suitable materials in any common form. C is the discharge-board. D is the separator. a is the chute under the hopper, the latter being indicated by the red lines. b b are pivot projections on upper end of screen. cand kare setscrews. of is an arm attached to side of screen. f is a plate of metal,or other suitable material, attached to upper end of screen and covering several of the upper rows of the meshes. h is a frame having separator attached to rear end moving longitudinally in grooves t. The red arrows indicate the direction of the blast. Black arrows indicate the course of the grain.

My invention is applicable to machines of any common form, and is particulary adapted to old or worn machines,whereby, at a trifiing cost, their efficiency may be greatly increased. These results are accomplished as follows: The grain, being placed in the hopper, (indicated by the red lines,) upon the vibration of the shoe, descends upon the chute, where, by means of the motion, it is assorted according to gravity, the sound heavy grains settling at the bottom, while the chaff and foreign substances are carried to the surface. At this stage of the process, by means of the plate f, two novel and important results are secured:

First, in consequence of the projection of said plate f over the upper meshes ofthe screen B, the grain, immediately upon touching the screen, is brought into direct contact with and receives the full force of the blastbefore it can pass through the meshes, whereas, as fanning-mills are usually constructed, owing to the downward projection of the square edge of the frame of screen interrupting the current of air, several rows of the meshes nearest to upper end of screen receive but an imperfect blast, and much chaff and other matter pass through these meshes before coming in contact with the direct blast, and cannot afterward be expelled from the machine; second, as screens are commonly made, the rough edge of the wire-gauze at the upper end of the frame seriously impedes the passage of the grain and disturbs the order of its natural assortment, whereas, on account of the smoothness of the plate f and its projection over the meshes at said edge, no impediment or disturbance is offered to the passage of the grain, which is conducted to the screen in such natural assortment and in the best possible position for operation, as the sound grain, being at the bot tom, firstreceives the blast and passes through the screen, while the chaff and lighter matter is carried to the rear end of screen, where, should it avoid the blast and fall through the meshes, it would yet be caught upon the separator D and cast apart from the pure grain, as will hereinafter be shown. This feature of the plate has even. greater significance when the fact, now well established, is remembered, that cats, when agitated by the vibration of the shoe, become arranged longitudinally upon the bed of the chute, and, if undisturbed by the edge of the wire-gauze upon the upper end of screen-frame or the roughness of the joint of the chute and screen-frame, they pass in this desirable position upon the screen,where, owing to the length and peculiar shape of the grains, they do not readily fall through the meshes, but are buoyed by the blast over to the lower end of screen, where either they are thrown out of the machine there or are caught upon the separator D and kept apart. Inter mediately with screen and discharge board is separator D, consisting of a plate of metal, or other suitable material, having its inner edge slightly elevated and secured to end of frame h, or its equivalent, moving longitudinally in the grooves 1', as may be seen by reference to the accompanying drawings. The office of the separator D is supplementary to the action of the plate f, and completes the process there commenced of separating the foreign matter from the pure grain in the following mode.

Owing to the action of plate f, above described, sound grain only will pass through the several rows of meshes next below the plate f, and the impurities must pass farther down the screen before dropping through. It

will now be seen that the separator -D may be i adjusted longitudinally in the grooves i, so that nothing but the pure grain will fall past it upon the discharge-board, while all mixed grain and other matter, passing through the screen at the lower end, as aforesaid, will fall 0'1 separator D and be carried in an opposite direction, as indicated by the black arrows.

The importance an-l value of my invention will appear when the purity requried in seedgrains is considered, and the small expense with which old machines may be made effectual for this purpose.

The plate f and separator D, I preferably construct of zinc, on account of its smoothness of surface and freedom from corrosion.

I am aware that a perforated plate of metal has been used as a screen, in which a plain unbroken edge, being a part of the plate itself, has formed the induction end, and that with such a screen the natural assortment of the grain would be undisturbed; but such I do not claim neither do I claim the dischargeboard 0.

What I do claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The application or the plate f to the upper end of the screen B, covering not only the joint of the screen and the chute, but the rough edge of the wire-gauze and several rows of the meshes nearest to the upper end of the frame of the screen, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The separatonplatc D, in combination with the plate f, and operating substantially as herein described and set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed: my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MYRON. J. BARGALO.

Witnesses CHAS.'H. CAERRY, R. F. ()SGOOD. 

